Sears, JCP Pull Ads From ‘SNL’ Over Offensive Skit

Christian group urging boycott

A conservative Christian group is asking companies to pull their ads from Saturday Night Live.

The group — the Mississippi-based American Family Association — says that it has asked Sears (NASDAQ:SHLD), Kmart and JCPenney (NYSE:JCP) to pull their ads because of an offensive skit, reports The Christian Science Monitor.

In the skit, Oscar-winning actor Christophe Waltz plays Jesus in a fake movie trailer. In the trailer, Jesus is presented as a killer who murders Roman soldiers in his quest for vengeance. The AFA has labeled this presentation of Jesus as “blasphemy” and offensive.

While Sears has elected to pull its ads from online rebroadcasts of the show, experts say that such boycotts rarely succeed. Regardless of whether those calling for a boycott are from the political left or right, broadcasters rarely see their ads leave for good. Examples of those who have faced such boycott campaigns are survived are Rolling Stone, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.

Robert Thompson, founder of the Bleier Center on Television and Popular Culture, says the campaigns “are not so effective in their direct effort.” Instead, he told The Christian Science Monitor, they become a focal point for a public discussion about what is offensive.